Sleight Of Hand
by JavisTG
Summary: Written for the Everlark Fic Exchange on tumblr. Prompt 32. Peeta hits the force field and "dies". The hover craft takes his body from the arena. When Katniss is rescued by the rebels, Peeta is there and alive. [submitted by Anonymous]
**Sleight of hand**

"I'm sorry, Katniss…" Finnick's broken voice wrapped around Katniss's chest and squeezed the air out of her lungs.

Sorry.

Finnick Odair was sorry. How did that help her?

Katniss lunged forward and covered Peeta's lifeless body with her own. She hovered over him, her eyes desperately searched his face looking for a sign, any sign of life.

With trembling hands, she traced the contours of his handsome profile. His jaw. His lips The line of his nose. He looked so peaceful, so content.

He's just tired, she thought. He's resting.

She pressed her forehead against his and whimpered, "Peeta. Peeta, wake up. Peeta, please, don't leave me here!" she begged.

The canon blast resounded inside the arena crushing her last shred of hope. A new round of heartbroken sobs wracked her body and she cried.

She turned to face Finnick and was surprised to find him slumped on the ground, looking shocked and exhausted. His green eyes shone with unshed tears. After a few minutes, he reached forward and grabbed Katniss's arm.

"Katniss, we have to leave," he said. "We're completely exposed and… they need to… take him."

The urgency in Finnick's tone cut through her muddled mind. He was right, they were still in the arena. They had to get going. But she couldn't bring herself to leave Peeta behind.

She didn't want to say goodbye, but she knew she had to find a way to let him go. Her mind flew back to Rue and how she had covered her small body with wildflowers.

She looked around, trying to find some foliage or plants she could use to cover Peeta's body. But it was no use, the jungle seemed to mock her. The tall naked trees and thick leaves that surrounded her were completely useless for her purpose. Besides, gathering greeneries meant moving from her spot and she wasn't ready to let go of Peeta's hand.

She leaned forward, pressed her cheek against his and whispered, "You're a painter. You're a baker. You're the kindest person I've ever met," she whimpered as a new round of sobs overcame her.

Fat tears were streaming down her cheeks as she started speaking again. "You were brave and strong. But you were also gentle and sweet. You gave me hope and you kept me safe. You made me laugh. You helped me dream and you took all my nightmares away. You're my best friend."

She could hardly breathe under the weight of her pain, but she refused to stop. She couldn't let him go without telling him how she felt.

With a shaky sigh, she finished. "You were my first kiss. I'm glad it was you. But I wasn't supposed to be your last. I should be the one lying here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I failed you."

She pulled away slightly and used the heel of her hand to wipe away the tears that kept streaming down her cheeks. She looked at Peeta one last time. His unruly golden waves made her smile. Even now, they threatened to get into his eyes. She brushed them away with her fingers.

"You're safe now," she whispered, "no one can hurt you anymore, not even me."

She leaned down and kissed him.

A strong pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her away from Peeta. She didn't fight them. It was for her own good. She never would have left her district partner on her own.

Katniss and her allies stood by as the metal claw lifted Peeta into the hovercraft. She pressed the three middle fingers of her left hand to her lips and raised her arm in Peeta's direction. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes as the boy with the bread disappeared from view.

Katniss dragged her feet through the jungle for what felt like hours. Eventually, her allies decided to stop and rest. They still hadn't found any water and the humid heat was driving them crazy.

She rested her back against a tall tree trunk and tried her best not to think about Peeta, or about her failure, or about what it meant that she was still alive.

Mag's approaching footsteps startled her. She turned toward the sound. The mentor's gentle smile greeted her.

Without any warning, the older tribute reached into one of the pockets on her belt and pulled something out of it.

The long gold chain shimmered under the moonlight. Katniss immediately recognized the golden disc that hung from it. Greedily, she snatched it from Mags's hand.

"Sorry," she apologized, blushing in embarrassment when she realized how rude she'd been. "I just– "

Madge waved her off and smiled tenderly at her. She wasn't upset by Katniss's poor manners. She understood.

The pendant was heavy in Katniss's hand. She ran the pad of her finger over the ridges of the engraved mockingjay. Suddenly, the golden disc slid upwards revealing a couple of pictures concealed inside it.

"It's a locket!" she whispered.

Tears welled in her eyes at the sight of her family. Prim, her mother, her _cousin_ Gale.

Once again, Peeta's thoughtfulness overwhelmed her. He'd probably meant to use this to remind her of those she loved.

She scoffed at the idea. If he'd been there, she would have ignored his plea. She had said goodbye to her family, and she had made her peace with it. A flash of pain coursed through her at the memory of the blue-eyed boy who was no longer there, the sweet boy who was lying somewhere dark and cold, far away from her.

She examined the smiling faces looking back at her. Peeta was gone, but they weren't. They still needed her.

She took a deep breath and pushed down the wave of sorrow that threatened to swallow her whole. She had to be strong. For Prim. For her mother. That's what Peeta would have wanted.

He had given up his life for her so that she could keep her family safe. She had to honor his wishes. Otherwise, his sacrifice would have been in vain.

XXXXX

"They've got them!" Portia announced. "They're on their way. They'll be here soon!"

"How's Katniss?" Peeta asked, "Is she ok?"

"I don't know; the report didn't say," the young stylist walked towards her friend. She reached out to him and squeezed his arm in an attempt to comfort him. "She's with Haymitch now," she added in her most soothing voice. "She's safe, Peeta. It won't take long for them to get here. Maybe we should head to the landing dock, meet them there."

"All right, let's go!" he instructed as he jumped to his feet.

XXXXX

Peeta rushed through the long winding corridors of District 13. He reached the elevator which would carry him directly to the landing dock and cursed his bad luck every time the contraption stopped along the way to collect more passengers.

Anxious and restless, he escaped the stifling receptacle and ran towards the open door at the end of the hallway.

He reached the end of the corridor and found a uniformed official he recognized as one of President Coin's aides. The man was guarding the entrance to the landing dock and made no attempt to move from his place.

Peeta took a deep breath. The old anger he'd felt when he'd woken up, alive and well, in District 13 was bubbling to the surface once more. He reigned it in. This soldier was just another cog in the machinery. He wasn't responsible for what had been done to him. It wasn't his fault that Katniss had been left behind.

"Hello, officer," Peeta said using his most charming tone, "I'm here to greet the newcomers."

The man smiled. Peeta was surprised by the happy glint he saw in the man's eyes. "Welcome to the reception area, Soldier Mellark. The door on the left will take you to the medical unit. You'll find your friends there."

"Thanks," with a brief nod to the officer the victor turned on his heels and ran in the direction the soldier had indicated.

XXXXX

Peeta opened the door and was greeted by a flurry of activity. Doctors shouted orders while wounded people were being wheeled through the halls in their beds. Bloody limbs and pained screams called for his attention, but he ignored them as he searched the hospital wing for the one thing he wanted.

Suddenly, he heard it.

"Peeta!"

The voice was soft, practically a whisper, but it echoed in his chest smashing every other noise into oblivion.

He turned towards the sound and found Katniss's silvery eyes looking straight at him. She was sitting on a stretcher, looking sunburnt and dirty. Her hair was a ratty mess and her forearm was poorly bandaged, but she was there. She was alive. And she was calling out to him!

He started running again, sidestepping orderlies and carts loaded with medical equipment.

Katniss smiled, her eyes sparkled with joy as she held her arms out to him. He ran straight into them, wrapping his arms tightly around her back and pulling her close. She mimicked his movements and buried her face in his chest.

He heard her soft chuckle, felt the tremors of her body as she shook in his arms. Her warm breath caressed his skin, right over his heart.

Something warm and sweet exploded inside his chest at the feel of her slender body pressed so snugly against his own. He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath. She smelled of mud and sweat and he laughed because he couldn't believe he was holding her.

He had spent the last couple of days cursing everything and everyone who had conspired to keep them apart. More than anyone, he'd blamed himself. If he hadn't stepped into the force field, he reasoned, Finnick wouldn't have been able to use the temporary poison concealed inside his golden bangle to knock him out.

Furious and frustrated, he'd hardly slept a wink, choosing instead to keep a constant vigil in front of the TV and watch every move Katniss made inside the arena. Minutes had stretched on as he saw her dragging her feet trough the jungle.

His blood had felt like lead coursing through his veins whenever she rubbed the golden disc which hung from her neck. And hearing her mumble his name in her sleep had reduced him to tears, but he hadn't moved from his place in front of the screen, hoping, with every passing second, the allies would keep their promise to break her free.

Now, they finally had.

Tears welled in his eyes as he whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Katniss. I didn't know," he promised as his chapped lips tickled the delicate skin of her neck.

She pulled away from him, just enough to look into his eyes, "I know," she assured him with an emphatic nod. "Haymitch explained everything." Her eyes hardened at the mention of their mentor, her voice was distant and cold when she added, "he lied to us, Peeta. All those months, they had all those plans and he kept them from us. He used us. He's no better than them."

Peeta nodded. He knew she was right. He pulled her back into his arms, his lips brushed the shell of her ear as he whispered, "I don't know if we're safe here. These people broke us free from the arena, but they expect something in return."

Her body stiffened in his arms and she asked, "Something? Like what?"

"They say they want us to be the face of the revolution. I don't really know what that means yet, but it sounds an awful lot like priming and prepping us for interviews and public presentations."

"So nothing's changed then?" she asked sounding small and defeated.

"Well, we're together again," he offered, hoping she would see this new development as good news.

She pulled away once more. Her teary eyes latched onto his, her small hand reached his face and she traced his features with her fingertips.

"Promise you'll never leave me again," she demanded.

His voice was deep and steady as he answered, "I promise."

"You'll stay with me?"

He nodded, "Always."

He'd barely finished speaking when she pulled him down to her and kissed him.

Her lips were soft and warm and he welcomed them, closing his eyes and getting lost in the soft moans and whimpers that escaped Katniss's mouth whenever they touched.

When he finally pulled away, he was breathless and giddy. Katniss was safe, she was in his arms, and she was kissing him like she never wanted to let go.

There would be plenty of time for politics, revolutions and mind games, he thought but, for now, Katniss was in his arms and nothing else mattered.

XXXXX

 **AN:**

I want to thank the lovely Anon who sent this wonderful prompt. I hope I did it justice :)

Kudos and comments are as beautiful as Cinna's work. You always make my day when you share them with me. Thanks!

You can also find me on tumblr. I'm javistg over there, come and say hi!

The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.


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